Fireplace Design Tips For Any Style Home

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With all the cold weather and snow blowing across the country these past few days it is time to create a cozy haven to warm you from head to toe – the family fireplace.

The family fireplace is not just the perfect place to retreat to, they are a great focal point of your room, and add warmth and character to your space.  Today, we’ll give you some tips on how you can plan for a great fireplace design in your home, and show off some great fireplace designs to give you a little inspiration, no matter what style home you have.

Fireplace Options

Fireplace options today have come a long way.  You no longer need a chimney.  Fireplace manufacturers have developed systems that you can operate using electric, ethanol or natural gas. 

So the first thing you need to do is determine what type of fireplace will work for your home. Naturally, if you are building a new home you have a little more control over this, and you can incorporate a traditional fireplace wherever you want (if you choose).  If you want a fireplace for a more urban location, you may want to opt with a ventless fireplace that doesn't require the traditional chimney system. This is also the case if you are remodeling or upgrading a space, and you are limited to the existing architecture.

Modern Indoor Fireplaces by Monsey Fireplaces Shop Chimney

What’s Your Style?

The style of your fireplace must fit with the style of your room.  From a rustic retreat, to an elegant countryside manor, no matter what style home you have, you can create a fireplace design that fits in perfectly with the overall décor.

This Minneapolis living room uses a very modern fireplace design.  The dark gray fireplace surround goes nicely with the gray sofa, and dark wood floors

Contemporary Living Room by Edina General Contractors REFINED LLC featuring Carlisle Wide Plank Dark Wood Flooring

Space Planning

When selecting a fireplace style and design you must consider the scale of the fireplace relative to the size of your space and overall decor.  

The good news is fireplaces aren't just for gradious, lodge style living spaces. They can be designed for compact urban spaces too.  Now your fireplace is like your sofa, or armchair, it becomes a piece of furniture in your room.  Not only can you move it around just like you do when you rearrange your room, but it is not permanant, and you can take it out of the room if doesn't fit the decor or the season. 

Modern Indoor Fireplaces by Elkhorn Furniture & Accessories Pot Racks Plus

This modern living room is a great example of a momdern fireplace design that fits in perfectly with the scale of the room.  It is slightly oversized, which fits the large scale of the room.  And it has a very modern feel which fits in with the overall decor.  The gray tones of the fireplace even complement the gray undertones of the prefinished oak flooring.

Urban Collection – Prefinished Oak Flooring in a Midcentury Modern Living Room by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

Fireplace Surround

Your fireplace surround can consist of a variety of materials including stone, concrete, wood paneling, brick. The material you choose will depend on the overall look you want to create.

This elegant country manor uses intricate raised paneling around the fireplace, covered by a wrought iron grate.  This has a very traditional, but clean and elegant look so it goes nicely with the overall design and modern quartersawn oak flooring.

Elegant Collection – Prefinished oak Flooring – Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

Stone is also a popular material for fireplaces. They can make a room look more rustic and relaxed, like this Alabama Lake House.  From the reclaimed wood flooring used on the sliding door, to the casual heart pine flooring notice how the red, gray and brown tones of the fireplace stone complements the overall decor and color scheme so well.

Lakehouse Collection – Heart Pine Flooring from Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

You can even use stone in a fireplace surround in a more sophisticated Lake House look too, like this home on Shanty Bay in Ontario.  But notice how the stone has taken over the entire wall, to become a major designelement of the home.  Again, the gray, brown, cream color tones of the stone complement the furniture, distressed wood flooring and wood beams so well.

Transitional Living Room by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators Steffanie Gareau Interior Design featuring Carlisle Footworn HIckory Flooring

When considering your fireplace surround, you also want to consider if there will be any overhang in front of the fireplace. This can be a great look, depending on the setting, and what you want to store there. This contemporary living room have an overhang that allows you to add plants, pottery and other decorative elements to the room. It’s a good place to store cold wet outdoor clothes too while they dry!

Prefinished Oak Flooring in Modern Living Room by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

If your fireplace will be flush with the flooring, you’ll need to decide what kind of material you want between your fireplace and your hardwood floors. This Rhode Island home uses traditional slate between the brick surround fireplace and pine flooring.

Pine Flooring in Contemporary Dining Room by Middletown Design-Build Firms Aquidneck Properties

Log Storage

If you are going to have a traditional wood fireplace you want to know where you are going to store your logs.

This midcentury modern living room incorporated log storage on either side of the fireplace. This is located just inside an entryway, so you are not tracking wood remnants throughout your room. Plus the store is large enough that you stock up for those really long cold stretches, and keep the room neat.

Retreat Collection – Prefinished Oak Flooring in Midcentury Living Room by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

If you don’t have room for traditional storage look for other creative ways to store your logs.

Rustic Storage Bins And Boxes by Costa Mesa Furniture & Accessories Bliss Home & Design
Contemporary Magazine Racks by Brooklyn Architects & Building Designers Cathy Hobbs Design Recipes

The Mantle

You can have a lot of fun decorating your mantle! It is a great way to tie together the colors and décor of your room. 

This Southwest inspired living room uses the fireplace surround to store pottery, artwork, and vases that match the colors of the furniture and accent pillows. This room has a laid back, eclectic vibe.

Ranch Collection – Solid Wood Flooring – in Southwestern Living Room by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

This Boston Family Room has a decorative wood beam installed within the stonework, to store treasured family heirlooms.

Farmhouse Family Room by Essex Architects & Building Designers Eric H. Gjerde AIA featuring Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

This chalet style home featured a more traditional freplace design with brick, wood paneling, and mantle.   The old fashioned candlesticks and 20″ wide pine flooring gives this space a historic feel. 

Wide Plank Pine Flooring by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

Your Fireplace doesn't require a mantle, it all depends on the look you want to create.    But if you give it some thought ahead of time you can ensure you order the right materials, and build it with the right dimensions, to suit your vision.

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